Officials: 9-year-old took loaded gun to Donna school

DONNA — A 9-year-old Donna student brought a loaded handgun to school Monday.

Donna schools Superintendent Robert Loredo said the boy apparently took the weapon from a relative’s house to Truman Price Elementary, 116 N. 10th St.

The student did not discharge the weapon, which was confiscated after school Monday.

The district notified parents about the incident through a letter sent home with students Tuesday afternoon, Loredo said. The superintendent said officials did not tell parents Monday because children had already been dismissed from their classes for the day when the gun was found.

District officials are now considering extending a policy to the campus that would prohibit children from bringing backpacks that conceal their belongings. Should the policy be implemented, parents would need to send students to school with either mesh or clear plastic backpacks.

The child likely did not intend to fire the weapon or threaten anyone with it, Loredo said. The boy will probably be transferred to an alternative education center within the school district.

“We urge parents to actively monitor their children,” Loredo said. “Talk to them.”

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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.